1. Field of the Invention
The present invention involves a metered liquid squeeze dispenser which provides for fixed dosage dispensing from a squeeze bottle in which rotating and squeezing sequences permit selected, repeated dosage dispensing.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following prior art is representative of dispenser containers:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,591 to Benjamin David Menkin, et al. and Frank M. Darling, describes in a fluid dispenser comprising a container, cylinder means removably mounted upon said container and depending thereinto, piston means mounted for reciprocation within and normally projecting yieldably upwardly beyond said cylinder means and including axially spaced abutments, said cylinder and piston means defining a continuous communicating fluid passage therethrough, valve means in said cylinder means and said piston means, the latter means being effective to pump a fluid upwardly from said container through said passage, and an axially ported cup disposed at the upper end of said piston means in a position to receive a flow from said passage: a wall of the cylinder being formed with radial holes in axially spaced relationship, a spring clamp clampable around the cylinder and including an end adapted to e carried in any selected hole for engagement with said abutments to adjust the extent of relative reciprocating movement of the piston means within the cylinder means.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,774,517 to James E. Teegardin and Benjamin David Menkin, describes a fluid dispensing device comprising a cylinder, an internal projection means in the wall of the cylinder, a resilient piston operatively mounted in the cylinder, a resilient external projection means associated with the piston for limiting its stroke in the cylinder, the resiliency of the piston and the external projection means being adapted for snapping them past the internal projection means into the cylinder, a valve mounted in the wall of the cylinder for valving fluid thereinto, a second valve for valving fluid out of the cylinder, and a spring means for urging the piston through a return stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,700 to Robert J. Dodoghue, describes a container and closure assembly has a resilient lower storage chamber and a transparent upper dispensing chamber defined either in one unitary body, or in two units which are releasably secured to one another. A transfer tube in a fitment between the chambers serves to transfer a predetermined quantity of liquid from the lower to the upper chamber upon squeezing the lower one. The upper portion of the dispensing and measuring chamber has discharge orifices defined therein, or in an insert provided in a top opening thereof. The insert may comprise either an orifice pattern, an atomizing spray nozzle, or a foam nozzle and may be capped off by a conventional cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,547 to Robert J. Donoghue, describes a measuring and dispensing apparatus for use with a flexible-wall container is provided by the combination of a dispensing means having an enlarged cylindrical base portion and an upstanding portion, the upstanding portion having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end disposed on the enlarged base portion, the upstanding portion also having a bore therein and an outlet orifice disposed therein proximate the upper end and in fluid communication with the bore; the enlarged based portion having container engaging means thereon; wall means disposed around the dispensing means and forming, with he enlarged base portion a fluid measuring chamber, the chamber having an upper end having a fluid outlet; and a tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the tube disposed so that the outlet end is disposed in the bore in the upstanding portion of the dispensing means and in fluid communication therewith, the inlet end adapted to be disposed in the flexible-wall container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,794 to Michael G. Stratford and Ronald H. D. F. Lee, describes a dosing device for fluid which comprises a dip tube extension situated within a dosage cup, the extension being constructed to enable fluid to pass from within said extension into the dosage cup and a dosage determining sleeve slidably engaging a side wall of the extension and movable relative to the extension between positions enabling retention within said cup of a selected dosage volume of fluid and return of any excess fluid into said extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,100 to John J. Mueller, describes dispensing apparatus for a flexible container, including a closure for the container and an expansible bladder associated with the closure and adapted to fit within the container to expand and displace the dispensed contents. The closure has two openings, one at which it is attached to the container and the other forming an outlet for dispensing. A conduit extends from the bladder into the closure and communicates to the exterior of the closure and container through one of the two openings. The outlet opening is constructed to allow the contents to flow only in a direction from the container during use and a check valve allows flow through the conduit only into the bladder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,521 to Ronald G. Saffron, describes a dosage device for the delivery of a measured quantity of a liquid or flowable paste, such as a medicament, comprises a cup component and a compartmented component which is secured within the cup component and rotatable with respect thereto about an axis, the cup component having a radial base wall with an opening radially offset from the axis, the compartmented component having axially extending walls bounding a plurality of compartments each of which has an open end and each of which can be brought, by relative rotation of the two components, into alignment with the base wall opening, each compartment having in its outer wall an outlet which is at a respective different axial spacing from its open end, the cup component and that outer wall bounding a dispensing space to receive liquid or flowable paste from the compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,922 to David J. Landecker, describes a dispenser for liquid acrylic resin and powder, the dispenser having a dish, a raised inlet above the dish, and a shield for the inlet. A bottle or the like is mounted in coaxial relation therewith for dispensing fresh quantities of liquid from the reservoir bottle to the dispenser dish. The outlet in the dispenser dish is above the level of the liquid contained in the dish to prevent return of the liquid and has an umbrella-like shield over the inlet to prevent the backflow to prevent contaminated resin from returning to the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,603 to Jack Weinstein, describes the present invention is directed to a metered dispensing cap system for containers such as tubes and the like. The system has a base element which is attachable to the neck of a squeezable container and which has a sidewall portion and a top. The base element has an opening in the top for outflow of a material from a squeezable container into a meter element. This base element may be removably attachable, e.g. by being screwed on, or may be permanently attached, e.g. by being integrally molded with the container. A one way valve is located in the opening of the base element to permit the flow of material from a container through the opening while preventing backflow. The system also includes a meter element which acts like an inverted trap and which has a sidewall portion and a top with an opening in the top for dispensing of the material therefrom. The sidewall portion of the meter element is slightly larger than and has the same across section shape as the sidewall portion of the base element and this sidewall portion of the meter element is higher than and located about and encompasses the sidewall portion of the base element. Further, the meter element is vertically slidable along the sidewall portion of the base element with an upward position for receiving a volume of material in a pre-determined amount when the squeezable container is squeezed and downward position whereby the opening in the top of the meter element allows for dispensing of the desired amount of fluid when the meter element is pushed down.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,598 to Lawrence E. Lambelet, Jr. et al. and Thomas A. Frazier, describes apparatus for dispensing predetermined amounts of viscous product. The apparatus has a conduit which is telescopically received with a cap. The cap and conduit define an expandable dosing chamber which expands to a predetermined maximum volume when product is introduced into the chamber through the conduit. A check valve prevents back flow of product through the conduit. Collapsing the chamber from its maximum volume to a minimum volume dispenses the product from the dosing chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,881 to Raimund Andris, describes in order to create a metering and spray pump of high functional reliability, consisting of as few individual parts as possible and able to be produced with as low production costs, in particular assembly costs, as possible, in which the pumping member consists of an elastically-flexible bellows, which is arranged connectively between mutually movable, dimensionally stable housing parts, the bellows has at its one end, as axial extension, a radially flexible, sleeve-like annular wall section, which encloses in sealing manner like a valve the circumferential surface of a socket, in the form of a ring or pot, integrally molded onto the housing part executing the pumping strokes. The other end of the bellows is provided with an end wall section which has at least one passage opening and covers like a valve one or more outlet openings of a housing end wall of the second housing part or forms the valve seat for a valve closing member which is molded onto a displacement body arranged in the bellows.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,778 to Jack Weinstein, describes squeeze bottle pumpless nozzle dispenser has a first lid, a second lid, a dispensing nozzle, a shut-off valve and a dip tube. The first lid, located on the top, has a dispensing orifice upper portion and a venting orifice upper portion. Each of these is located in either a track or a track follower formed in the bottom of the first lid and in alignment therewith. It has means for rotatable attachment to the second lid. The second lid has means for attaching to the squeeze bottle and includes the lower portions of a dispensing orifice and a venting orifice. Each of these is located in either a track or track follower and is located on the top of the second lid in alignment with the counterparts located on the bottom of the first lid. A shut-off valve is located within the lower or upper portion of the venting orifice, responsive to pressure. When the bottle is squeezed, the shut-off valve will close the vent so that fluid material will only exit through the dispensing orifice and thus through the nozzle. The first lid may be placed in a first position where neither the upper portion of the dispensing orifice nor the upper portion of the venting orifice is in alignment with its lower portion. When the first lid is rotated to a second position, there is simultaneous alignment of the upper and lower portions of both the dispensing orifice and the venting orifice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,051 to Robert A. Bennett, describes a squeeze sprayer device is attached to a squeezable container of fluid. The device includes a capped cylinder containing an axially moveable discharge valve in the form of an air piston which unseats in response to air pressure to open the discharge upon squeezing the container for producing a fine mist spray as pressurized air admixes with the liquid at the discharge orifice. A one-way valve controlled air vent on the piston closes during the spray operation. Upon release of squeeze pressure, the piston returns, its one-way valve opens for venting, and the piston seal cuts off the spray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,553 to Jack Weinstein, describes the present invention is a liquid metered dispensing container of the squeezable type. The squeezable container has an opening for dispensing liquid therefrom at one end and a bottom at the other end. A non-flexible trap chamber is connected to the opening and extends outwardly therefrom. The trap chamber has a lower end inserted into the container opening and has an inlet orifice extending from the lower end into the container. The inlet orifice is adapted to receive a dip tube which is attached thereto and extends close to or at the bottom of the container. The trap chamber has an upper end with a dispensing orifice. This is small enough to prevent dripping of liquid therefrom by gravity when the bottle is inverted but is large enough to dispense liquid therefrom when the bottle itself is squeezed. A one way valve is connected to the lower end of the trap chamber which permits liquid to flow from the container to the trap chamber but not vice versa. The trap chamber may have indicia so that exact dosage levels of different amounts may be squeezed into the chamber, or the chamber itself may have a single, predetermined volume.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,081 to Robert A. Davenport, describes a portion measuring device of the type having a first, flexible, reservoir having an inlet, and a second, portion measuring, reservoir in fluid communication with said first reservoir. The first, flexible, reservoir is of a larger volume than that heretofore known, and may have a handle to aid in holding. The second, portion measuring, reservoir has a rotatable closure with a pouring spout or opening therein. A configured periphery is provided on the closure to aid in turning the same.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,563 to Chin-Ching Liu, describes a quantitative dispenser including a cylindrical body with a bottom. A separator plate is engaged in an inner annular slot on the top of the cylindrical body. The separator plate has a central engaging hole and a flow-through opening. A cover is engaged over the outer periphery of said body. The cover has an outlet with a sealing cap and engages the separator plate. A scale divider has a sleeve part and a wing part. The sleeve part is slipped on a hollow engaging shaft and the wing part is able to be fixed as a way to form a measuring scale on the inner periphery of the cover. A scale is provided on an outer surface of said cover. The powdered mile stored in the body can pass through the flow-through opening on the periphery of the separator plate into a measuring space. The powder is then dispensed through an outlet in the cover.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.